The home cook book

A longer process for the making of the balls — and some claim a better one — is to soak a piece of salt codfish for seven or eight hours in cold water, changing the water once or twice. Then shred the fish, let it cook gently till tender, and put it through a sieve before adding it to hot potatoes. CREAMED SALT COD In the preparation for freshening the fish, proceed as directed in the receipt just before, or use the shredded cod bought at grocers'. For a cup of codfish take a pint of fresh milk, and heat in a saucepan over a moderate fire. When the milk becomes hot stir in two tablespoons of flour wetted with half a cup of cold milk. Stir constantly, that the milk may not scorch, and cook till the flour thickens. Stir in two beaten eggs as you take the creamed fish from the fire. Pour on a hot platter, drop over it tiny lumps of butter, add a dash of pepper, and serve. DRAWN BUTTER SALT COD Cut three-quarters of a pound of nice white codfish. Lay it overnight in cold water enough to cover it. If required for a late dinner, put it to soak in the morning. Pour off half the water and add more fresh water to cover it. Boil until tender, which will be about fifteen minutes. After boiling five minutes taste. If too salt, pour off all the water, add more, and finish boiling. When done, pick out all the bones, and chop fine. Boil and mash potatoes, have nothing with them but a little salt. Add to the chopped fish as much potato as you have fish, and half as much more when mixed together, season with red pepper, and salt to taste, making it slightly hot with the pepper, and enough salt to give it a salt fish flavor, though not too salt. To this add one beaten egg, and enough drawn butter to wet it up, rather stiff. SALT FISH 69 Serve very hot with drawn butter, made as follows: Take two heaping tablespoons of butter and two heaping tablespoons of flour, and mash together in a small saucepan. Set in another saucepan which has a little water in it. Pour over the mixed butter enough warm water to dissolve it. Add more water to make three-quarters of a pint. Add salt to taste. Boil the water in the under saucepan slowly. Stir constantly to prevent lumping, and as it thickens now and then raise the upper saucepan from the water and stir hard that it may be perfectly smooth. When done, let it stand away from the fire, in the water, to keep hot — and cover to avoid a scum forming on top. Have two or three cold hard-boiled eggs. Slice and lay them on a separate small plate. When the fish is served to each person, put on the plate with it two slices of egg, and over the egg and fish pour drawn butter. Add also a sprinkle^of red pepper, if wished. This is a very nice and delicate way of preparing salt codfish.